You’ve decided to buy a hot tub or swim spa for your home wellness space, but where do you start? With energy efficiency being front of mind today, we have compiled 5 top tips for you on energy efficient models, costs to run a hot tub, choosing the right hot tub cover and water care products.
1.CHOOSE THE MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT HOT TUB YOU CAN AFFORD
Purchasing a cheap or inflatable hot tub may seem like a bargain, until your first electricity bill arrives! When shopping around for a Hot Tub or Swim Spa, check whether it has been built to the most efficient energy standards, as this could save you a packet!
HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY DOES A HOT TUB USE?
A hot tub is used for 30-45 minutes per session, three to four times a week on average. Buying a cheaper model could increase your daily costs to five or six times more than an energy efficient model, such as Hydropool. To keep your bills down you need to look for a hot tub that is built to retain heat and maintain water temperature efficiently.
According to pricing research from What Spa? Magazine, the UK’s leading hot tub buyer’s guide, the most energy-efficient hot tubs on the market will cost between £1.80 and £2.30 per day at current energy tariffs of around 52p per kWh (updated February 2023). That’s less than a Starbucks Latte or Costa Coffee Cappuccino!
So, when choosing your new hot tub or swim spa make sure you weigh up the running costs, which could differ by hundreds of pounds every year, with the appeal of an eye catching purchase price!
2.GOOD QUALITY SPA INSULATION
Good quality insulation within a hot tub or swim spa is essential in keeping the running costs low. Many hot tubs use foam insulation, which does provide good heat retention qualities but also causes problems for maintenance and repairs accessibility. This can result in additional cost. With this in mind, Hydropool developed their own insulation, The Hydro-wise Thermal Shield, to deliver outstanding heat retention, even in the Canadian winters that their tubs were built for.
The HydroWise Thermal Shield offers a three-layered system that traps the heat at various levels. First, a thermal blanket is wrapped around the plumbing, capturing the excess heat from the parts. Second, the interior of the cabinet is layered with a thermal blanket, which reflects heat off the equipment and back into the unit to retain it within the hot tub. Finally, the third layer is applied to the base of the hot tub to keep the cold out and generate a hybrid heating system that can all be recycled into the water.
3.HIGH QUALITY, FOAM INSULATED HOT TUB COVER
Hot tubs from high quality brands come equipped with a foam-insulated hot tub cover. The covers fold in the centre and include a ‘continuous heat seal’ along the underside of this fold, plus they are typically tapered to allow rain water to run off the spa.
We recommend that you use a hot tub with a cover that’s at least four inches thick in the centre and tapers down to a minimum of two inches at the front and back of the spa.
It is essential that you have a well-fitted hot tub cover, otherwise your running costs could skyrocket. The hot tub cover needs to act as an airtight seal around the shell of your spa, to prevent constant heat loss. Hot tubs lose around 60% of their heat from the surface of the water when they have no lid on, so a good quality cover could save you hundreds of pounds in additional running costs.
If your hot tub cover is well insulated, then snow or frost that collects on it in the winter will not melt. Our Hydropool hot tub and swim spa covers are made for Canadian winters, so the snow certainly won’t be melting!
4.PROFESSIONAL SERVICING & MAINTAINING YOUR HOT TUB & SWIM SPA
Regular servicing of your hot tub by a qualified engineer, will help your hot tub run as efficiently as possible and maximise your enjoyment, all year round.
A typical one-off service cost between £180 for a drain down and refresh and £350 for a full-service that delivers a deep hot tub clean and detailed check on electronics and main components.
Regular maintenance and service will help to detect any problems early, reducing inconvenience, breakdowns, faults and costs later down the line. Just like taking your car for a service and MOT!
5.GOOD QUALITY WATER CARE PRODUCTS
Regular daily water checks and weekly filter cleans will all help to keep maintenance costs lower. A clean filter is an efficient filter. It is best practice to have two filters, so you can alternate between cleaning. A filter costs around £60-£75. Replace filters every year to ensure they’re working as efficiently as possible.
Maintaining water quality is very important. Keeping your hot tub’s PH between 7.2 and 7.8 will help the chlorine or other chemicals to work at their most effective. The PH or the water being above 7.2, stops the water becoming acidic and reduces the chances of eroding your heater.
We recommend the use of O-Care along side other products. Stocked in our showrooms and in our online shop O-Care helps to remove and prevent sediment in the water. This reduces the amount of chemicals required for clean and sanitary water. Soft water and less chemicals will make it perfect for sensitive skin types.
Less contamination, sediments and chemicals will help your main hot tub components such as pumps, heaters, ozone, jets and blowers last longer.
SO HOW MUCH SHOULD A HOT TUB COST TO RUN OVER A YEAR?
Costs of running a hot tub vary massively depending on the regularity of use, good maintenance, surrounding ambient temperature, water temperature and the quality of the hot tubs insulation.
For a good quality average sized hot tub being used for three or four times a week, for around 30-45 minutes at a time, you can expect to pay the following costs:
Electricity Costs: £650 – £850
Service Costs: £140 – £350
Water Care / Filters: £250 – £300
This provides an estimate price of running a hot tub between £1040 (£2.80 per day) and £1500 (£4.10 per day) a year.
£2.80 to £4.10 a day, or between £20 and £30 per week, is around the same cost as a weekend takeaway for two or a round of drinks in the local pub! When you consider the benefits of creating your own private sanctuary with a hot tub in your garden, we think that is extremely good value.
Our experienced team, here at Take Wellness can help you to find the perfect hot tub, swim spa and maintenance plan. You can find us in our Cheltenham and South Wales showrooms or call, email or message us to book a wet test and for more information.